Using the Archives

The resources below were developed by the Kennesaw State University Archives to facilitate learning through engagement with primary sources. Additional resources to support specific course topics using material from our collections can be developed by our staff upon request. 

Resources

Guides

Instructional Tools

Class-length instruction modules using archival materials.

Interested in a class-length module tailored to a specific subject, collection, or learning objectives? Contact the Archives to request a digital instruction session.  See below for examples of digital modules created by our archivists.

archives tour stil

Introduction to the KSU Archives and Special Collections

This four part video module provides basic instruction in primary source literacy, an overview of collections held by the KSU Archives and the Bentley Rare Book Museum, an introduction to our online catalog and digital collections, and a virtual tour. Including built-in assessment questions, this module takes approximately 40 minutes to complete.

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Archiving While Black

A presentation documenting the African American experience in the KSU Archives and the Bentley Rare Book Museum, including questions for critical analysis of archival materials and suggested collections for further study.

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naacp group with navy officer
ksu softball

Women in Sports at KSU and SPSU

A module examining the participation of women in sports throughout the history of KSU and SPSU. The module uses questions for critical analysis to explore changing social roles for women in the context of university history, Title IX, and more.

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Football at KSU

A presentation documenting the history of KSU's football program through oral histories and other archival materials.

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ksu football poster
glacier girl lost plane

Glacier Girl: The Expedition to Retrieve the Lost Squadron

Presentation on the retrieval of World War II fighter planes embedded in the Greenland ice cap, featuring selections from the Bobbie Bailey Collection.

Archives and Special Collections intern Chandler Moore, Contributing Author.

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Exercises to engage students with archival materials and promote primary source literacy.

The KSU Archives is available to collaborate with instructors to create assignments using our materials. To plan assignments that address specific subjects, collections, or learning objectives, please submit a Service Request Form to contact one of our archivists. Any assignment can also be presented as part of a digital module. 

See below for sample assignments utilizing materials from the University Archives.

Sample Assignment 1: KSU and SPSU Yearbooks

Researcher level: Beginner

Visit the KSU Archives Scholarly Online Access Repository. Choose a yearbook from either the KSU Yearbook Collection or the SPSU Yearbook Collection. Click the link under the yearbook image (example: techlog34-1982 (112.3Mb)) to download a digital copy. Review the yearbook and look for the following: 

  • Changes in campus buildings/uses of buildings/location 
  • Changes to curriculum. What classes or programs were offered then that are not offered now? What modern programs are absent? 
  • Changes in student body demographics  
  • Student activities and/or traditions. What has changed and what has not?  
  • References to politics and/or current events 
  • References to popular culture: film and television, literature, fashion, etc. 

Write a reflection describing what you noticed. Describe how could you use this yearbook to demonstrate how this school or region has or has not changed over time.

Sample Assignment 2: Kennesaw Junior College student newspaper 

Researcher level: Intermediate to Advanced

Visit the KJC student newspaper collection in the KSU Archives Scholarly Online Access Repository. The four articles linked below show student opinion regarding the Vietnam War at different points in time. 

 Read each article and write a reflection answering the following questions: 

  • What events and policies are cited as influencing students’ opinions on the war?
  • The article “Lottery? What Lottery?” consists of a student poll regarding the 1969 draft lottery. Read an explanation of the lottery draft system here. How does learning their lottery number influence poll respondents’ opinion on the draft?
  • What do these articles show about support for the war on the American home front?